Victor Valdes is set to leave the Catalans at the end of this season… or is he?

The Spanish international has been linked with a move to Manchester City and Liverpool in recent weeks, despite having a pre-agreed deal to join French side Monaco in the summer.

It had been reported that Victor Valdes had a pre-arranged verbal agreement to join his friend Eric Abidal at Monaco on the basis that the French side achieve Champions League football.

The Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo, however, recently claimed that there were a number of clauses in a possible deal between Monaco and Valdes, suggesting that he was still free to negotiate with other teams.

Despite Liverpool and Manchester City currently boasting international goalkeepers, the duo have been heavily linked with the 32-year-old, but that could now all change following a career-threatening injury.

Unfortunately for Victor Valdes, he suffered an ACL injury during Barcelona’s 3-0 victory over Celta Vigo on Wednesday, and will subsequently miss the next six months which rules him out of this summer’s World Cup.

As a result of the injury, Victor Valdes’ future remains a mystery. Reports in the Spanish press suggest that Monaco will respect the pre-arranged agreement, yet Barcelona president Bartomeu has also reportedly assured Valdes of a future at the Nou Camp beyond this summer.

Will Victor Valdes make a full recovery? Will he go through with his plan of leaving Barcelona this summer or stay at the fans’ request? Would Victor Valdes’ injury impact Barcelona’s reported signing of Ter Stegen?

Despite there being many questions that need answering, one situation which presumably can be ruled out is Valdes moving to the Premier League - meaning Joe Hart and Simon Mignolet’s first-team spots appear safe for the time being.

Tom Thorogood

I'm a 27 year old language teacher and writer based out in Mexico with a passion for football and swimming. I like to focus on the top European Leagues, especially La Liga, as well as the footballing development in Central and South America. My favourite teams include Derby County, Barcelona and Jagaures de Chiapas.